The Sunday Edition for April 14, 2019
Listen to this week's episode with host Michael Enright.
Why are so many Canadians obsessed by what people put on their heads? — Michael's essay: "The Quebec government is going into the business of telling its public servants what they may and may not wear when serving the public. The government insists that to ensure a healthy secularism in Quebec, religious symbols have no place in its bureaucracy."
A sexual assault victim's lawsuit set a precedent that alarmed the Catholic church: As a boy, Rod MacLeod was sexually assaulted by a Basilian priest over a period of four years. He refused all offers to settle his case out of court; instead, he went to lawyer Rob Talach, known as "the priest hunter." Their story is told in a new documentary film called Prey.
Rosehip, mushroom, maple syrup and kelp are the home-grown flavours powering Nova Scotia's booming craft liquor industry: There are more craft distillers per capita in Nova Scotia than anywhere else in the country, and they're racking up international awards. Also, if it grows locally, there's a good chance some Nova Scotian has steeped it in alcohol with an eye to creating a drinkable gin. David Gutnick checks out the intoxicating scene in his documentary Home Is Where the Gin Is.
A mother and fierce advocate for inclusive education weighs in on classroom violence: Anna MacQuarrie's adopted children suffered childhood traumas which have left them prone to violent outbursts at school. She believes everyone has a right to an inclusive education, and says when it is done right, violence and disruptions in the classroom can be controlled. In addition to being a parent, MacQuarrie is a human rights consultant for the advocacy group Inclusion International.
Your reaction to: our interview with retired Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire, and Michael's essay on the benefits of Nova Scotia's "negative option" organ donor law.
Novelist Patrick deWitt skewers the spoiled denizens of a world of wealth and privilege: deWitt shot to fame with his novel The Sisters Brothers, which won truck-loads of awards and has been made into a film. French Exit, another one of his works, is a tragedy of manners with an absurdist twist. It has been receiving rave reviews and was nominated for a Giller Prize. He's Enright's guest.
Why do so many of us cough all the time?: A chronic cough can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. There are many causes, none of them easily diagnosable. Dr. Jaclyn Smith is a pulmonologist and professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester. She's also a member of the International Society for the Study of Cough.
Music this week by: composer Alexina Louie and pianist Louise Bessette, composer Ana Sokolovic and the Cecilia String Quartet, Laura Barrett, Sarah Neufeld, Alison Young, La Bolduc, The Fretless, Rachel Mercer and Angela Park, Bob Dylan, J.S. Bach and Olafur Arnalds.